


The Twists Life Brings

by RomanceSucker42



Category: Forever (TV 2014)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Age reveal, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, M/M, Mpreg, Panic Attacks, Unplanned Pregnancy, almost divorce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanceSucker42/pseuds/RomanceSucker42
Summary: Who would have thought that a medical conference in Las Vegas would lead to this?
Relationships: Henry Morgan/Lucas Wahl
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	The Twists Life Brings

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: This is a Forever (2014 TV series) fic with the pairing Henry Morgan/ Lucas Wahl. One shot. I do not own anything. Enjoy!

The morgue was strangely quiet and empty today. It took longer than Henry really wanted to admit to notice exactly why it seemed so empty when he walked in this morning. He was almost to his office when he realized that Lucas wasn’t here. He thought it odd, because Lucas is almost always here around the same time Henry is in the morning. He tried to shrug off the worry that settled into his stomach, the worry that has been a constant companion the last several weeks. 

It all started almost ten weeks ago when there was a medical examiner conference in Las Vegas that he attended with Lucas per department regulations so they could keep up-to-date. After the conference, they went to a bar where they proceeded to become extremely inebriated. Henry can only remember bits and pieces, but he remembers Lucas telling him that he loves him and asking Henry to marry him. The wedding is in bits and pieces as well, but the ring he had on the next morning and the certificate of marriage is really what confirmed his suspicion of the nights’ events. That and waking up naked next to an equally naked Lucas. 

The morning after had to have been one of the most awkward and uncomfortable mornings for him and that was saying something coming from a man who comes out of the water naked and has to walk in Central Park like that. Henry felt awful about it, but he told Lucas the night had been a mistake and suggested they get a divorce. Lucas had taken it all really well, but Henry could still tell how much he was hurting him which really was the last thing he wanted to do. But Lucas deserves someone that was in love with him and could grow old together, not someone like Henry. 

Things had been awkward for the first week or so until things went back to mostly normal until about two weeks ago. Lucas had started to come to work pale and nauseous for about four days until Henry forced him to either let him examine him or he go see a doctor. Henry made Lucas take a day off to go see someone and to come back in the following week. Henry thought things would get back to normal after that, but it didn’t. It got a lot worse. Lucas became quiet and avoided Henry as much as possible, which was an impressive amount in the small morgue. It unsettled Henry a lot more than he wanted to admit. He just wished that he knew what he had suddenly done to make Lucas act this way. 

It wasn’t until Henry saw the divorce papers with Lucas’ signature on it and a PostIt note with ‘I’m sorry. Goodbye.’ attached to the top that his worry turned into panic. The papers had been drawn up, but neither really paid all that much attention to them. Neither were in a hurry and were both busy people. The sight of them meant Lucas was leaving and probably for good. He glanced at the clock, knowing that the Lieutenant would be getting into her office about now, before he took off running for the staircase. He raced up the stairs and made a beeline for the Lieutenant’s office just in time to see Lucas in there as well and handing over something to the Lieutenant. Henry didn’t think, he burst into the office and snatched what he can now see was a letter of resignation, out of either of their hands. 

“Dr. Morgan” the Lieutenant started sternly. “This is a private conversation that you are not privy to.”

“You can not accept.” Henry weaseled out to the Lieutenant then said to Lucas. “You can not go through with this.” 

“Doc…” Lucas said with a sigh. He looked a little skittish, actually, though Henry didn’t really see it because he was still hunched over trying to catch his breath. 

“You love your job. If-If it’s me, that I make you uncomfortable, or-or something-” Henry started sounding flustered and a little desperate. See, the thing was, Henry may believe that Lucas deserves better, but Henry had become very fond of the strange man and was almost desperate not to have him leave him. 

“Doc-” Lucas tried to interject but Henry just talked over him trying to apologize and get him to stay.

“I’m not sure what I did, but I apologize and if it’s something else then please, we can talk about it just please don’t do this, not this-”

“Dr. Morgan-” The Lieutenant stood up and tried to intervene but it didn’t help.

“I’m pregnant!” Lucas shouted shutting them both up. The office’s sudden silence was deafening while the news hit Henry like a brick wall. Lucas was close to tears, so he scrubbed his face and hair with his hands while Henry hit a state of shock. He stumbled back like he was hit with a blow and had to clutch the back of a chair to stay standing. He was light headed and his legs felt like they were going to give out at any moment. The silence continued to stretch on while the Lieutenant looked back and forth between them. After five minutes, Lucas really was crying now, but Henry was having a difficult time not hyperventilating from shock so he couldn’t focus enough to realize that. Lucas couldn’t handle the silence anymore, so he made a break for the door, but Henry stumbled to block the door like a drunkard having seen him move towards the door. 

“Henry.” the Lieutenant said warningly. She was worried he might do something stupid in the state of shock he was in, but Henry just looked at Lucas. Really looked at him. He opened his mouth to say something but Lucas beat him to it. 

“I’m keeping the baby.” He said it so sternly with so much force around his tears that it threw Henry through a loop. It was like he thought Henry was going to ask him to get rid of it. That very thought gutted him. That Lucas thought that he would ask that, that he could ask that, felt much, much worse than dying his most painful death. He really wasn’t sure how he was standing at this point. 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” Henry asked, his voice a shelf of pain. 

“I don’t know.” Lucas whispered looking down at his shoes. Tears were still rolling down his face. 

“I-” Henry swallowed. “I don’t want to sign the papers, but if that is what you want then I will. Please don’t answer right now, please give it some time.” He begged. Lucas nodded his understanding, though he was pretty surprised. He thought Henry would jump at the chance of a divorce, but he looked more like he was about to start crying with Lucas about this whole thing. The next part gutted Lucas to the point he thought he needed to sit down with the raw anguish in Henry’s voice. “Could-Would you allow me to see them?” 

The gut punch came with such blinding relief he was suddenly very light headed and thought he was going to pass out. He started to sway dangerously to one side making Henry give a panicked “Lucas!” before he grabbed onto him and stumbled him into a chair. Henry crouched in front of him and started taking his vitals. “Lucas, take some breaths. Have you eaten today? Lieutenant, can you please get him some water?” She nodded and quickly left while Henry continued to monitor his vitals. “Just breath, Lucas, take your time. It’s been an emotional morning, this is very stressful on both of you.” Henry continued to say in full Doctor mode trying to appear calm despite his raging panic about this whole thing. He hasn’t even touched the ramifications that this will have on his life, he is still too shocked about the news and panicked about Lucas leaving. 

The Lieutenant came back with water that Lucas took and drank slowly. Quietly, Lucas asked. “You really want to be apart of the kid’s life?” Henry nodded emphatically at that which would have made Lucas smile, but he had to see where the boundary lay so he asked. “If I asked you to sign the papers and to never come looking for us, would you?” Pain was written all over Henry’s face and it only seemed to get worse when he closed his eyes and bowed his head.

“Lucas, I will fight for the both of you for however long I might live. But if that is what you truly want, to never see me ever again and for me to never see our child or to watch them grow. Then yes, that is what I will do. I will do whatever you ask of me, no matter what it is.” He said it so sincerely it made Lucas start crying again. 

“Maybe you too should go home and talk all of this over. Take the week, and I will see you both Monday morning with your decisions.” The Lieutenant suggested, seeing that their conversation has hit a personal level that she no longer needed to listen to. She didn’t feel like either of their safety would be in danger, so now they just needed to work it out between them. Henry nodded and Lucas scrubbed his face trying to get the evidence of his crying off of his face. Henry helped Lucas up and started shepherding him out of her office. 

“We will see you Monday.” He said while they left the office. They got into the elevator and started heading down to the morgue on auto pilot. It wasn’t until they were there that they realized they had even done that. Lucas still looked like he was going to cry, so Henry was quick to say something. “I’m going to grab my keys real fast. I would like to continue talking about this, but if you need space right now, I understand and we can talk tomorrow.” Henry asked tentatively. He really wasn’t sure how to handle this. Though they tried, he and Abigail never had more than just Abe, so he wasn’t even sure how to handle someone he cared deeply about being pregnant. 

Lucas nodded his head, looking relieved. “Yeah, I really would like to go home and sleep.” Henry nodded back to him.

“I will escort you home, then.” Lucas looked like he was going to protest, but thought better of it. They left shortly after and less than half an hour later, they were at Lucas’s apartment. Henry hesitated at the front steps to his building before he asked. “Would it be alright if I came up with you? Just for a moment. I am finding it difficult to let you out of my sights at the moment.” he said sheepishly. Lucas looked a little exasperated at him.

“It’s not like I am going to disappear off into the middle of the night.” He said, but Henry just looked at him.

“Maybe not in the middle of the night, but you were going to leave. And frankly, I have no guarantees that you will not still just leave.” Henry looked down at his shoes then. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did, though. I’m probably the last person you want to be in this situation with.” Henry said self deprecatingly and Lucas stared at him for it. He had never seen Henry act like this. Lucas has only ever seen Henry as self assured and confident, never this insecure side of him that seems to exist. For some reason, it felt wrong to Lucas that it was even a thing that occurred. And while he wasn’t sure he was up for spending more time with Henry at the moment, he felt guilty that he even made the older man this insecure so he led him up to his tiny apartment without further protests.

“Sorry for the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” Lucas said a little self consciously. He had spent the last few days curled up on the couch in misery trying to decide on what he was going to do, so the living room and the kitchen were a mess. 

“It’s no trouble, Lucas. Why don’t you go lay down and I will make you something to eat. Is there anything that you have had a particular aversion to or something you would like to eat?” Henry asked softly. Lucas had to actually stop and think about that for a second. 

“Fish and eggs have been sending me running to the toilet recently. Maybe some tomato soup with some grilled cheese? That sounds amazing right now.” He replied, suddenly very hungry. Henry smiled at him and responded. 

“Alright, it will be ready soon. Go get ready for bed.” He encouraged. Lucas did and about twenty minutes later, he followed his nose to the kitchen for food. They ate on the couch because the table was a mess, but it didn’t matter to Henry. He was just happy to be eating a meal with Lucas and that Lucas was enjoying it. Once some food was in him, though, Lucas started to fall asleep where he sat, so Henry gently led him to his room and tucked him into his bed. He meant to leave right after that, but thought he could at least do the dishes which lead him to cleaning up the tiny apartment. It was almost ten o’clock at night when he realized that he never told Abe where he was or what was happening, so he used Lucas’s landline to call Abe.

“I was wondering if you were going to call me or if I should go drive along the Hudson river.” Abe said wryly, making Henry huff. 

“Really, I am not that bad.” Henry said defensively. “But while I am not at the river, I do think I need you to come pick me up.” He said it tiredly, but there must have been something in his voice because Abe immediately followed up with.

“You ok, Pops?” 

“Not even remotely. I’m not explaining over the phone, though. On second thought, scratch the ride, I think I need the walk. I’ll see you in a few hours, Abe.” 

“You sure you don’t want me to come pick you up.”

“I’m sure, thank you Abe. Get some sleep, I’ll explain in the morning.” With last minute goodbyes, they hung up and Henry grabbed his coat and scarf. He then located the spare key with some difficulty and was about to head out when he thought better of it. He wrote out a note to Lucas saying he would be back at two o’clock tomorrow so they could talk or if he wanted to talk sooner, that Henry would be reached at Abe’s antiques which was also where he lived. He posted it on the kitchen refrigerator door and left the apartment. Once the door was locked up tightly, he slid the key back under the door into the apartment. 

He took his time walking back to his place. He let his thoughts wander, slowly processing his feelings on the entire situation. It really hit him that he was going to be a father again to a second child about six blocks from home. He almost started hyperventilating again in the middle of the street. He paused for a while just trying to breath before he continued walking again. He had managed to make it home and up to his bed when it hit him that he had to explain Abe to Lucas if not tomorrow then within the next few days. That did send him into a panic attack that he actually ended up passing out on. He woke up on the floor several hours later to Abe coming in to check on him. 

“Pops, you up yet?” Abe asked before he opened the door and saw him on the floor. “Hey, you ok? What happened? Why are you on the floor?” He proceeded to help Henry off the floor and sitting on the bed before Henry answered.

“I believe I had a panic attack when I got in last night and lost consciousness from lack of oxygen to the brain.”

“A panic attack?” Abe asked, surprised.

“Yes, not a very fun experience.” Henry commented.

“Henry, why did you have a panic attack last night? Does this have something to do with whatever happened yesterday?” 

“Yes, but I believe this would be better discussed after a shower and over a large glass of whiskey.” 

Henry moved to go shower then, completely ignoring Abe’s protest of. “But it’s only eight o’clock in the morning.” Once he was showered and dressed, he found Abe again in the kitchen where he had made breakfast. Abe narrowed his eyes when he saw him. “If you are going to drink so early in the morning, then you are going to eat something first.” Henry nodded his consent, even though his stomach was in knots and he didn’t want to eat anything right then. He knew Abe was right, so they ate in silence and when they were done, Henry took the dishes to the sink and fetched them each a glass of whiskey. “I don’t want any, thank you.” Abe protested when it was placed in front of him, but Henry shook his head.

“You will want it after I tell you this.” He said, taking a large gulp right afterwards.

“Alright, now you have me worried. What’s going on, Henry?” Abe asked, indeed looking worried now. Henry sighed and took another sip before he started explaining.

“Do you remember a few months back when Lucas and I went to Las Vegas to that medical conference?” Abe looked at him strangely but answered him all the same.

“Of course I do, I teased you about blindly getting married to a stranger because that seems to be the king of luck you would have. What does that have to do with anything?” Henry sighed

“I did get married in Las Vegas. To Lucas.” That made Abe pause.

“Oh.” he said, then reached for the glass in front of him. Henry took another fortifying sip before he continued.

“It gets worse.” Abe looked incredulous.

“It does?” 

“He’s pregnant.” Abe started choking. 

“He’s what?!” Abe asked, completely caught off guard. That’s about when he really took stock in how well Henry was taking this bit of news. Which wasn’t well at all. He looked stressed and panicked and Abe suddenly realized why he had a panic attack. “So that’s where you were last night. You were talking things out with him?” Henry shook his head, which confused and worried Abe.

“No, I took him back to his apartment and made him some food and got him off to bed. His place was a mess, so I ended up cleaning it while he slept.” Abe wasn’t really sure what to say to that, so he took another sip of his drink and let the silence be for a moment. Henry broke it first. “He was going to leave.”

“What?” Abe asked in disbelief. Did Henry really just say that Lucas was going to leave? 

“He wasn’t going to say anything, he was just going to leave. I caught him in the Lieutenant’s office handing her his resignation after he left signed divorce papers on my desk.” Apparently that was what Henry had said, but now Abe was pissed off. He tried to calm himself down, though, because Lucas had never seemed like the time to run unless he thought he had no other choice.

“But he’s not now, right?” When Henry shook his head, a weight that Abe didn’t even realize had settled on his chest lifted, though he was still angry. “Ok, then what happened that would make him think he had to leave in the first place?” Henry finished his glass and poured himself another then told Abe what happened in Vegas. By the end, Abe was starting to understand what really happened between the two men and he was a lot less angry. Though now he was a little angry at Henry for being stupid and almost ruining his chance on meeting his sibling. But, he also understood partially what was troubling him so much. 

“Dad, I know you loved mom and I know she was your whole world, but she is gone and it is ok to be happy with someone else, now. I know you miss her, I miss her too, but she would want you to be happy. You are not betraying her by being married to someone else.” Henry looked down at that, which told Abe that he hit the dart in the bullseye on at least part of the problem. “Do you love him?” Abe asked with bated breath. He knew Henry loved him already just by how wrecked he was about getting the man pregnant because Abe knew Henry thought Lucas deserved better then him but children leave a permanent link between people and it was the one thing Henry would never run from. Meaning he would stay with Lucas if that was what Lucas wanted. Henry looked at his mostly empty glass for a full minute before downing it and filling up his glass again then answered. 

“Yes, I think I do. But I feel like I am betraying your mother, still, even though I know intellectually that I am not. And you were such an easy babe and it was a completely different time, what if I’m a terrible father now? What if Lucas realizes just how much better he can do then me and leaves me and takes the baby with him?” Henry said all of this in a wild rush, finally talking about what he is really troubled by with all of this. Abe took a steadying breath before he tackled those very real concerns.

“Now you listen to me. You are the best father any child could ever ask for. I have never wished for anyone else to be my father but you and neither will this child. And you may not think so, but Lucas is damn insane if he thinks there is anyone better than you out there. I know it and Mom knew it too. And you are not betraying Mom by falling in love again. I know it and she would know it that you always will love her, but there comes a time where you need to let go of the past and live in the present and Lucas is the present. I hope he knows how damn lucky he is because he made the only man on the planet who will literally love him for the rest of eternity fall in love with him.” Abe said that all seriously, but the last part Henry thought was a little funny.

“Yes, well. We will see when I tell him about being immortal and about you.” Henry says wryly, now fairly drunk at this stage. He knew he should stop drinking soon if he wanted to at least seem remotely sober by 2, but figured he could at least finish the glass. Loud knocking from the front door interrupted what Abe was about to say next.

“Stay here, I’ll go see who it is.” Abe said which Henry nodded to. He knew he looked like a wreck and knew it would be a bad idea to try to talk to anyone in the state that he was in. So he finished his glass and capped the bottle.

Abe got down stairs and was very surprised to see Lucas at the door. He quickly went to open the door for the man. “Lucas, what a surprise. Come in, come in.” Abe ushered Lucas inside.

“Hey Abe, is Henry here? He told me that he would be here today if I wanted to talk earlier than 2.” Lucas asked, looking very unsure about himself and very nervous. Abe suddenly felt bad for him. Henry never really knew what he did to other people, but Abe knew that Lucas probably thought Henry would reject him more than Henry thought Lucas would reject him. Abe had the sudden urge to sigh exasperatedly. His dad really had gotten himself into a pickle this time. 

“He is here. He’s up stairs. Why don’t you come up, I think there is plenty to discuss. I believe congratulations are in order.” Abe smiled warmly at him, but Lucas startled at the statement. 

“He told you, then?” Lucas looked a little cross now instead of uncertain. But Abe paid it no mind and continued on.

“We were just discussing that, as a matter of fact. He’s a right mess right now, actually. Henry doesn’t deal with his emotions well or his insecurities, so he was just telling me what the hell was going on with him over a bottle of whiskey. I think he just stopped drinking in hopes to sober up some before two, so you’re probably going to see him fairly drunk at the moment.” They had been walking to the back and up the stairs up to that point, but Abe stopped and looked at Lucas seriously. “Don’t judge him too harshly for this. Henry is a lot of things, but he can sometimes be ruled by his fears and he needed to process his fear of you leaving and being a father before he talked to you this afternoon.” 

Abe didn’t wait for a reply before he continued down to the kitchen where Henry was still at. He had gotten up and was doing the dishes at the sink, though he looked like he was swaying dangerously from the alcohol while he was doing them. He was barefoot and wearing jeans for once with a button up long sleeve shirt untucked and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was a mess and even with his back turned, they could tell he hadn’t shaved since yesterday leaving him looking scruffy and disheveled. He heard someone walk in and assumed it was Abe, so he didn’t turn around. He was so drunk it took most of his concentration not to drop the dish he was washing. “Who was it, Abe?” he asked while he concentrated on rinsing the plate. Abe answered when he put the plate in the drying rack.

“It was Lucas.” Abe said as casually as he could. Henry startled and swiveled around almost toppling over in the process before he caught himself on the counter. He swallowed heavily when he caught sight of Lucas standing awkwardly in the doorway. His eyes flickered to the bottle of whiskey on the table then down to the ground feeling shame well up inside of him. Lucas didn’t see it, though. He was having a difficult time getting past seeing Henry in jeans. Abe broke the silent tension that appeared when the both of them saw each other. “Well don’t just stand there. Come in, sit down. You’re going to have to excuse us, but the two of us are going to need some more of this for this conversation.” Abe said to Lucas while taking the bottle and opening it again. 

“Abe.” Henry said in an exasperated warning that Abe paid not head to.

“What? He’s family now. You’re the one who married him, if you do recall. Or maybe you don’t.” He said the last part as an afterthought while collecting fresh glasses and poured a generous amount into each glass.

“Abraham.” Henry exclaimed.

“Oh don’t give me that. You had that one coming. You kept that from me for almost three months!” Abe exclaimed right back. He handed Lucas a glass of water then handed Henry one of the glasses of alcohol.

“You have the worst sense of timing when it comes to these things.” Henry sighed at him but he just smiled back at him.

“What can I say, I am my father’s son.” Henry felt warm at that, but he was also drunk enough to forget himself and answer with what he was thinking so he snorted and replied.

“Your mother was far worse than I am.” Henry looked up from his glass when he heard hacking coughs to see Lucas trying to catch his breath.

“What did you just say?” Lucas asked incredulously. Henry’s nerves just came back in full force, but Abe continued on like there was no interruption.

“Oh don’t give me that. Remember that time in Atlanta back in ‘54 you saved that kid’s life from drowning then you turned to the parents and told them maybe he shouldn’t swim for a while so his lungs would heal.”

“You were nine and you weren’t even there, how could you possibly know that?” Henry asked, exasperated with the reminder of that particular incident. 

“Mom told me after the time I made a joke to a kid at school who had broken something.” Henry rolled his eyes.

“Which time? If I do recall, you had a tendency to do that a lot.” Abe smiled innocently back at him.

“All of them. It was her favorite one.” Henry sighed

“Of course it was. She never once ever let me live it down, either. I don’t suppose she ever included some of her own stories?” 

“If memory serves, she was partial to all of your blunders then to her own.” Henry rolled his eyes again then half saluted the air with his glass before commenting.

“That certainly sounds like your mother.” he took a sip of his glass but quickly put it down when Lucas made a strangling noise. The noise pulled him back from his memories and back into the present and the situation at hand.

“What the hell are you two talking about?!” Lucas shouted. He looked confused and scared, which made Henry feel even more like shit.

“Lucas” Henry started, going over to sit at the table across from Lucas. “What I am about to tell you may sound impossible, but I swear on our child’s life that I am telling you the truth.” Henry implored to him and he waited until Lucas gave a nod of acknowledgment. Henry swallowed, then said. “I am immortal. I was born in September 1779 and I died on a slave ship to the Colonies in April 1814. And ever since then, I haven’t aged. I can still die, but every time I do I come back naked in the closest, largest body of water. In 1945 at the end of World War II I met a nurse named Abigail who was looking for a doctor to check over an infant they found in one of the encampments. I fell in love with them both and Abigail and I adopted the baby and named him Abraham. Abigail and I were married until she died twenty years ago. If I include you, I have been married three times. My first wife was Nora, back before I died in 1814. When I came back, I tried to explain to her what I am, but she had me committed to the psychiatric facility for it. I still have an aversion to the psych ward to this day even though I know that they have greatly improved since then. Abigail was my second wife. Until right now, Abraham had been my only child in the 238 years that I have been alive.” He was babbling and Abe cut him off then.

“Ok, Pops. I think that’s enough information at once, don’t you?” Henry looked to Abe who came over and patted his shoulder. Henry took his hand and held on in trepidation to Lucas’s reaction. Lucas was staring at them in total disbelief. But he could also see that Henry really believed everything he was saying, so either Henry was a complete nut job, or it was actually true. The stress of this whole situation suddenly made his stomach turn and he had a sudden and intense urge to vomit. He wasn’t sure where the bathroom was, but it didn’t matter because he didn’t think he could make it there even if he tried. He jumped out of his seat making the other two jump as well then raced over to the sink just in time to vomit into it. He vomited for a good five minutes before he was done, leaving him feeling weak and sweaty. That was when he noticed there had been a hand rubbing soothing circles on his back the entire time and a warm cloth was presented to him to clean his face while a cooler cloth was pressed to the back of his neck. He straightened up to see Henry was the one with the cloth while Abe was returning with some mouthwash in hand. Lucas took it gratefully and swished his mouth out then took the glass of water Henry handed him to drink. He took a few careful sips before Henry gently guided him into the living room and onto one of the couches. Some pillows and a blanket seemed to materialize out of nowhere and before he knew what was going on, he had his shoes taken off and he was laying down on the couch with a blanket over him. His glass of water was close by if he wanted it. Henry squatted next to him and was running his fingers through Lucas’s hair in a soothing manor. Lucas didn’t fight the pull to sleep. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to leave the conversation the way he did, but he needed time to think this over and took the out this provided. Though he didn’t go to sleep, he did close his eyes and let his mind wander over what was discussed. 

He let himself stay like that for an hour before he ‘woke’ back up. He had decided that he didn’t know if he believed Henry but the part of him that loved the man wanted to believe everything that Henry was saying. He slowly got up and wandered around in search of either Henry or Abe. He found them both still sitting in the kitchen and talking softly. Lucas couldn’t hear what they were saying and they stopped talking as soon as they spotted him.

“Ah good, you’re up.” Abe greeted jovially. Henry stood up before he went into worried doctor mode.

“How do you feel? Any better?” 

“Yeah, a little. I’m kind of hungry, though.” Lucas replied sheepishly, but Henry nodded his head like he was expecting it.

“Of course. Please, sit down. Is there anything specific that you would like to eat?” Lucas thought a moment about it, but decided to just go with toast. Henry had been moving around the kitchen when he heard his reply and stuttered to a halt before turning to Lucas again. “Lucas, I might not have gone through this part before, but I am a doctor and I can assure you that whatever you want to eat I will not judge you on nor will I deny you. So, again, what is it that you would like to eat?”

“I know it is not healthy to keep eating it all the time, but could you make grilled cheese again?” He asked a little sheepishly. Henry just smiled widely in return and promised it would be ready soon. An hour later, Lucas was finished eating and couldn’t put off the inevitable conversation that needed to happen. “So your immortal?” Lucas asked, sounding skeptical. 

“Yes, I know it sounds a little far fetched.” Henry smiled self deprecating again making Lucas suddenly very uncomfortable for questioning him. A look suddenly crawled onto Henry’s face that usually spelled brilliance and trouble. Lucas has learned to be very wary of said look.

“What is with that look? I don’t like that look.” Lucas said, sounding alarmed.

“Henry, what are you thinking?” Henry asked warningly, having come over to see what Lucas was alarmed about. 

“I believe I still have some Aconite still left in my laboratory. Seeing is believing and all that, I could just show you.” Henry said brightly, jumping to his feet and carefully helping Lucas up to shepherd him to his laboratory. 

“What?!” Lucas exclaimed not really understanding what was going on, but getting a horrible dreading feeling all the same. 

“Henry, I don’t think that is a good idea.” Abe protested following after them, but Henry ignored him. Once he knew that Lucas and Abe were following him, Henry rushed ahead of them to his Laboratory. He immediately started to set everything up in the Laboratory and just about had everything set up by the time the other two managed to catch up with him. 

“Henry, what is going on? Did you say Aconite?” Lucas asked, starting to get very, very worried.

“Henry, are you really going to make me do this again?” Abe asked tiredly. Henry stopped what he was doing to talk to them both.

“Yes, Lucas, Aconite. I have a little left over from our investigation that led to Aconite poisoning. I was able to identify the substance our victim was poisoned with by injecting myself with the poison. It was faster than the lab running tests.” Henry explained to a now incredulous Lucas. “And really Abe, all worked out the last time, this time will be no different.” He tried to assure Abe, but judging by Abe’s expression, it wasn’t really working. 

“I do this, you can’t ask me to do this again.” Abe warned him. Henry gave him a look and was about to say something, but Abe interrupted. “No, this makes me very uncomfortable and I don’t like it. You can’t keep asking me to do this.” 

“You are right, Abe. I do apologize. I will not ask you to do this again in the future.” Henry told him seriously.

“Thank you.” Abe replied while Henry got situated up on the table.

“Wait! What are you doing?!” Lucas interrupted them. Henry gave him a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, Lucas, everything will be alright.” He assured the man as Abe positioned the syringe over Henry’s arm. 

“Here we go again.” Abe muttered, plunging the poison into Henry’s system. 

“Wait!” Lucas cried, jumping over to where Abe was and pulling him away from Henry in an attempt to stop them only to be too late. “Henry! Henry!” Lucas yelled, frantically trying to figure out a way to stop the poisoning, but to no avail. Aconite was very fast acting and by the time Lucas had pulled Abe away, Henry was already reacting to it. He felt terrible about how freaked out Lucas was and wanted to assure the younger man, but was unable to as his body convulsed. Moments later, he died listening to Lucas yelling his name.

Lucas stumbled back from the now dead body of Henry, looking shell shocked and sick. He stared in a state of shock to watch as his body disappeared from sight. Abe looked at the younger man in sympathy. He came over and gently patted him on the shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go get him before he’s picked up on another skinny dipping charge.” Abe tells him cheerfully, gently leading him out to the car. Abe helped him into the car as he was still in a state of shock. The drive to the Hudson river was made in complete silence. It took a while before they found Henry, completely naked, shivering on the bank of the river, waiting for them. Once the car was parked, Henry started to walk to the car as Abe hopped out and opened the trunk while Lucas stayed in the car, staring at Henry through the windshield. Abe took out some sweat pants and tossed them at Henry, who caught them gratefully one handed and quickly put them on. As he did, Abe walked over to him with a towel and a shirt.

“Thank you, Abe.” Henry said gratefully as Abe handed him the towel and shirt. 

“Yeah, yeah, no worries.” He replied, waving away the thanks. Henry looked nervously to the car where Lucas was still in.

“How much trouble do you think I am in?” Henry asked Abe nervously.

“On a scale of 1 to 10?” Abe asked and when Henry nodded he added. “I’d put you at a 12.” Henry winced.

“I suppose that probably wasn’t the best way to convince him.” He conceded.

“You think?” Abe retorted back, rolling his eyes before he started to head back to the car. Henry took a steadying breath to stay his nerves before he headed back to the car. Lucas got out of the car when Henry came closer, still staring at him. Henry stopped in front of him and waited for Lucas to say something first. He was a little stunned and surprised by the resounding slap Lucas gave him, but it wasn’t exactly a shock. “Hey now, is that really necessary?” Abe asked, concerned.

“Yes! That was absolutely necessary.” Lucas insisted to Abe before looking back at Henry. “If we are going to have this work, do not ever do something like that again. You scared me half to death!” He yelled, his whole body shaking. “Is this what is in store for our child? To watch you kill yourself over and over again like Abe has had to? Congratulations, you convinced me that you are immortal! Too bad I now think you are psychotic and a terrible father!” Lucas ranted, turning on the spot and heading towards the road.

“Lucas!?” Henry called after him, fear and desperation waring in him. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!” Lucas shouted back while he was still walking.

“Lucas, where are you going?” Henry asked, involuntarily walking after Lucas.

“Somewhere away from you!” He shouted as he whirled on Henry. The older man stopped in his tracks as pain shot through him at those words. He felt like his entire world just crumbled around him and a javelin had been shoved through his heart. All Henry did was nod in understanding, not knowing that his face was as twisted up as he felt. Lucas just kept staring at him, his raging emotions being tempered by the pain he saw on Henry’s face. “I need some time to process all of that. I’ll talk to you when I’m ready to.” Lucas told the older man, who just nodded in acknowledgment, but didn’t say anything. Lucas turned back around and kept walking. 

Henry just kept standing in the same spot long after Lucas was out of sight. Abe had to come over to lead him to the car for him to actually get in. Abe was worried by the entire interaction, but he was starting to get frightened by Henry’s silence. He didn’t know what to say, though, so he stayed quiet on the drive home along with the time it took to get Henry out of the car and up to his room. After an hour of nervous hovering, Abe decided to just let the man be. 

Abe’s worry started to turn into panic when four days later, Henry was still silent and despondent. He got up and still ate and fiddled in his lab, but he was doing his routine, not actually thinking about what he was doing. The only other time Abe had seen him like this was when Abigail had died. 

On the fourth day, Abe couldn’t handle this anymore and decided that he needed to talk to Lucas to explain a few things. Hacking into the police database using Henry’s credentials to get Lucas’s address might not be ethical, but it really isn’t the worst thing he has done for his dad, so Abe lets it go. It was 10:30 in the morning by the time Abe was banging on Lucas’s door. A disheveled, bleary eyed Lucas was who opened the door after the fourth knock.

“Abe?” He asked, confused by seeing the man.

“Lucas, I think you and I should talk.” The graying man replied. Lucas looked worried for a moment before he nodded and moved to let Abe in.

“Is Henry alright?” Lucas asked when he closed and locked the door. Abe relaxed a little at that. If Lucas was asking about Henry then maybe things could still be fixed between them.

“Henry’s..well Henry.” Abe replied. He didn’t want to tell the young man how Henry actually was in case it influenced him too much in the wrong way. “Look, Lucas. I came here to tell you my side of things and answer any questions that you might have.”

“I don’t have any questions, Abe. Things looked pretty clear from where I was standing a few days ago.” Lucas replied, crossing his arms defensively.

“Lucas, Henry is the best father anyone could ever ask for. He’s attentive, proactive, and loving. He might be a little old fashioned on some things, but he grew up in the late 1700s. He’s very forward thinking for a man of that time. He is just still a man, though.” Abe sighed, moving to sit on the couch without asking first. Lucas moved to sit on one of the arm chairs as well, looking at Abe curiously. “You have to understand. My mother, Abigail, was Dad’s life. There came a point where she couldn't handle looking so much older than him that she left him. Frankly, she left us both. It’s been almost 30 years since then and I know in my heart that she is dead by now, but we still don’t actually know that. My parents were the kind of sickly in love the movies portray. That’s the thing about Dad, though. Once he loves someone, really loves them, his whole world revolves around them. He would do anything for them, even if it would kill him metaphorically in return. 

What you saw on Tuesday, that was reckless, yes, but it was a controlled incident. He dies in accidents all the time and comes back in the water every time. At least we were there to get him this time. I have helped him in his lab like that on several occasions, not because I wanted to kill him or thought that he deserved any of it, but because he asked for my help and I thought that maybe this time it would stick and he would finally have some piece. You don’t know what it was like, watching him refuse help at every turn and actively try to drink himself to death or the number of times he did deliberately kill himself after Mom left. I really thought I lost both of my parents and I did for about ten-ish years.”

“What pulled him out of it?” Lucas asked quietly, prompting Abe to continue more than anything. 

“A protest went wrong and I wound up in the hospital. They called Dad because I forgot to take him off my emergency contact number. I only had a sprained wrist and a black eye, but Dad freaked out. He went cold turkey with the alcohol and stopped trying to kill himself. He straightened himself out while taking care of me. Don’t get me wrong, that wasn’t the end of it. We had a lot of roars before I forgave him. But he never ran from those. He stayed for the tough conversation and worked to regain my trust again. He’s learned from his mistakes, too. He would never want to keep you in a marriage when he knows that he can never grow old with you.” Abe sighed. “My point is, he’s only human. That doesn’t mean you should condemn him for that. He’s still an amazing father and if you let him, he will try to make you happy for the rest of your days, however many that might be.”

Silence stretched for a really long time after that.

“I don’t know what you want me to do with that information.” Lucas confessed with a helpless gesture. “Thank you for telling me that, I think. What I don't understand is why you decided to tell me that now, today, instead a few days ago. Why come to me now?”

“I was hoping you would talk to Henry before now, but since you hadn’t I thought I should talk to you.” 

“What’s wrong with Henry?” Lucas asked, sitting up a little more now.

“No no, he’s fine.” Abe quickly tried to assure him. He paused and corrected himself, though. “Well, as okay as he is going to be, I think. He’s not drinking as far as I can tell and he’s still eating and getting up in the morning, so not as bad as I’ve seen him.”

“What does that mean?” Lucas asked sitting up completely now, poised to stand. 

“Now hang on, it’s not that bad.” Abe tried to console. “He’s just, well, despondent.”

“Despondent?” Lucas asked, clearly looking for clarification.

“He hasn’t said anything since you left and he walks around a little like he’s a ghost. You know, despondent.”

“What!?” Lucas asked, incredulously, shooting to his feet. 

“Now just calm down, he’s alright.” 

“Abraham.” Lucas said sternly. It reminded Abe of being scolded by his mother when he was a child. 

“Woah, your instincts are really kicking in, huh?” He asked, sounding taken aback.

“Just, lets go. I think Henry and I need to have a conversation.” Lucas insisted, heading for the door with Abe hot on his heels. Abe drove them back to their residence and let Lucas in all the while trying to calm the suddenly irate pregnant man, but to no avail. Lucas stomped through the place until he found Henry in his lab, sitting at his desk writing something. 

“Lucas?” Henry asked once he looked up from his writings looking very, very surprised to see the man. He jumped to his feet and tried to straighten out his rumbled clothes. 

“Okay, let’s get one thing straight.” Lucas started, looking and sounding angry as he pointed a very stern finger at henry. “We are not getting a divorce.”

“We aren’t?” Henry asked tentatively, looking confused.

“No, we aren’t. And you are going to be in the baby’s life because you are their father and they deserve to know their father and older brother. But if you ever coerce them into helping you with your experiments like you did with Abe, I will kill you several times over in punishment!”

“You’re staying?” Henry asked into the silence that followed his declaration for several minutes.

“Yes I’m staying, what the hell do you think I’ve been saying?” Lucas asked, still angry, but the rest of his tirade is cut short when Henry gets up, rounds the desk and crashes his lips to Lucas’s. Both of them were a little dazed when they came up for air. “We still have a lot to talk about and I’m still upset with you.” Lucas insisted when he could breath once more.

“I understand and we will talk about whatever you want and I will work on whatever you want me to for however long you will have me.” Henry promised.

“Thank God.” Abe muttered to himself in the corner of the room.

“Abraham.” Henry chided. “You know i don’t like that kind of language.” Abe threw up his hands in exasperating which triggered Lucas into a laughing fit.

“Oh my god, how has no one noticed you are father and son before?” He asked once he calmed down a bit.

“They usually do, they just don’t realize he’s the dad.” Abe responds with a shrug, making Lucas chuckle. 

One thing that Lucas instantly realized in that moment. His life was never going to be the same again with the Morgan’s in his life.


End file.
